GLEN CARBON - Four of the 2018 graduating seniors at Father McGivney Catholic High School (FMCHS) were recognized for earning Summa Cum Laude academic honors during Father McGivney's graduation ceremonies on May 20.

Teresa Barz, Magdalynn Fine, Noah Pirtle and Simeona Rasp qualified for Summa Cum Laude honors by attaining a GPA of 3.9 to 4.0. In addition to these bright students, Pauline Coppens, Penelope Edwards, Kolton Klette, Noah Mitan, Amaree Moss and Abigail Podshadley received Magna Cum Laude honors for attaining a GPA of 3.7 to 3.899 and Lorraine Eden received Cum Laude honors for earning a GPA between 3.5 and 3.699.

The students were eligible for these honors by completing the final three semesters of high school at FMCHS and fulfilling the school's community service requirements.

Teresa Barz, the daughter of Steven and Toni Barz of Maryville, was involved in several clubs and organizations at FMCHS including National Honor Society (NHS), Scholar Bowl, Science Olympiad, Chorus, and Art Club.

Barz plans to attend Maryville University in St. Louis where she will study actuarial science to possibly work in her future for an insurance agency assessing risk. "I really love math," Barz said. "I didn't know what to do with a career for it. I looked into it. It pays a lot of money to play with numbers every day."

Barz said that one of the things that she liked about FMCHS was the size of the class and school. "I really liked how small it was. You had a few friends. I really loved that I was close to a lot of the teachers," she said.

She offered some advice to incoming FMCHS freshmen. "To be bold and not be shy and back out of an opportunity. To try everything."

Magdalynn Fine is the daughter of Brian and Nancy Fine of Granite City. Fine attended FMCHS all four years and was involved in NHS, Math Team, Science Olympiad, Green Griffins, Spanish Club, Yearbook, and the Varsity Cheerleading Team.

Fine plans to attend Saint Louis University in the fall to attain an undergraduate degree in nursing and eventually become a nurse anesthesiologist. "I like helping people," Fine explained about her career choice. "I love the medical field and biology. I love having something new every day, and I love meeting new people."

She said she initially chose to attend FMCHS because she liked "how close everyone was." My parents were all for the Catholic aspects of a high school," Fine noted. "When I shadowed there, I really clicked with the principal, Mr. Scholz. He made me feel welcome."

Fine pointed out that she was also "a fan of the family aspect" at FMCHS. "The teachers were willing to help, academics were great, the faith aspect was really great, too. We were all very close," she said.

Fine's advice to incoming FMCHS students was to Enjoy it. Don't stress about the little things," she emphasized. "School can be overwhelming at times. There's more to life than just school. Not to get caught up in what a grade is even though its really important. It's not everything in your life."

Simeona Rasp is the daughter of John and Leonora Rasp of Collinsville.

During her time at FMCHS, Rasp was active in NHS, Science Olympiad, Cheerleading, and Math Team, as well as a Student Ambassador, a House Leader, and a Retreat Team Leader.

"One of the main reasons I chose Father McGivney was the class size," Rasp said. "I had small classes throughout grade school and knew that they allowed for more one-on-one time with the teacher as well as more group discussion. I thought those would be two helpful things to have in high school especially since I'd be learning more difficult material, so that's partly why I chose McGivney."

She suggested that incoming freshmen should try to build a relationship with their FMCHS teachers. "Asking them questions and going to them for extra help if you need it will, of course, help your grades, but it also shows you have initiative and you want to succeed - teachers appreciate that and take that into account. A good relationship with a teacher will really help throughout high school," she noted.

Rasp will be attending DePaul University in the fall as an undecided major.